Thanksgiving
by dmsfanman
Summary: With just a short Thanksgiving break at both of their colleges, Daria and Tom decide to spend Thanksgiving at her place in Boston. They do not spend it alone! This is the 4th story chronologically in my series on Daria's senior year in college.
1. To Daria's House He Goes

_This is the 4th story in my series covering Daria's senior year in college._

 **Thanksgiving**

 **Chapter 1: To Daria's House He Goes**

"No Mother, I am not coming home this weekend," Tom said over his mobile phone.

Kay Sloane replied, "Its Thanksgiving Tom and we would like to see you! Your Father and Elsie will miss you terribly."

Tom was getting irritated. "Elsie will be glad I'm not there. Look, I only have Thursday and Friday as a break from school. Daria and I decided to spend the holiday together in Boston in part because there is not much time. If we tried to go back to Lawndale we would spend the equivalent of a full day either on the train or flying. The train is four hours each way. The layovers to get flights from Baltimore to Lawndale make it four hours by plane. In an hour I can be in Boston enjoying my long weekend."

Kay shot back, "Whatever. But Tom I'm getting tired of this fling of yours. You need to think more about your family and your future. I guess we'll see you at Christmas."

"I have to go. The train is pulling in and I can see Daria waiting for me on the platform. Goodbye." Tom flipped his phone shut ending the call. In fact as they were nearing the platform he didn't see Daria. But, that statement would at least have some effect on his mother. A part of him was sad that his mother just could not see that Daria was very important to him. She was no fling.

The train slowed and Tom got up and grabbed his backpack and duffel bag off of the shelf above his seat and headed toward the door. There was a lurch as the train came to a halt, but Tom made sure he was hanging on to something when that happened. By the time he reached the door the conductor had already opened it and people were getting off. Since this was the peak travel day of the year the train was nearly full and the platform was crowded.

While Tom was talking to his mother Daria had been standing impatiently holding on to a pole as the subway train made its way toward the railroad station. She could see as they passed various subway platforms that the crowds were beginning to build. It was a long holiday weekend and many people were getting off work ahead of the usual rush hour. She had to admit to herself that she was really anxious to see Tom. Thoughts of his angular face, sandy hair and gray eyes went through her mind. It wasn't that he was all that tall at 5' 10" (178 cm). The real thing in this relationship was that she enjoyed his company and conversation. They were intellectual equals, though in different fields. He was majoring in accounting and she in English.

Finally the subway train reached the station and she jumped off as soon as the doors opened. While walking she quickly checked the time on her phone. Tom's train should be reaching the platform any minute. Maybe it was an irrational thing to do, but Daria actually walked up the escalator's stairs just to get to the platform faster.

The crowd was thick enough that Daria could not see Tom. At 5' 3" (160 cm) she was not tall enough to see over most of the people. So, she took up a position at the end of the platform. She flipped open her phone and fired off a quick text message to Tom, 'c u end.'

Walking down the platform Tom stepped aside and flipped open his phone to read the text from Daria. He continued on. About two minutes later he spotted Daria. There was no way he could miss her thing frame, auburn hair, oval face, and round glasses.

Daria reached over, grabbed Tom's arm and pulled him in for a very quick kiss. A little out of breath she said, "We need to head for the 'T' right away. It is almost the start of rush hour and with the holiday crowds we will be packed like sardines if we don't get on a train right now."

Still holding his hand Daria said nothing and guided Tom as they moved as quickly as they could through the crowd toward the subway station. Daria knew that time would be of the essence, so she had already bought a ticket for Tom to get him back to the station near Raft. They went through the turnstiles and onto the platform. A train pulled in less than a minute after they arrived and the two jumped on. They were even fortunate enough to find seats next to each other!

Feeling the acceleration of the subway train pulling away from the platform Daria finally asked Tom, "So how was the train trip?"

Tom replied, "It was OK. Traveling on a peak travel day has its downside, though. Every seat was taken and the noise level was pretty high. I love my cell phone, but with so many people having them it gets loud in the train car. Sometimes the conversations are ones you don't want to hear. There was one woman behind me that was talking about her former lovers and the disease she got from one of them! Wearing headphones and turning up my music helped, but that was just something I couldn't unhear!"

"Eeew," Daria said while contorting her face to show disgust. She continued to gaze at Tom. He seemed unfazed as he told the story.

Tom went on, "Otherwise, it was a fairly normal trip." The two sat together holding hands for the remainder of the ride. The train pulled into the station; they got off and started walking toward Daria's apartment.

As they walked Tom commented, "I'm surprised there isn't more traffic here. It's rush hour and there is barely anyone out."

Daria replied, "It is amazing how empty and quiet the campus is. By noon people were heading out in droves. God forbid that anyone would work a full day on Thanksgiving-eve! There are only a few of us left for the weekend and then there are the international students. They are keeping one food service location in the Student Union open for them over the weekend. If you want I could freeze the turkey breast I bought and we could have cafeteria food for Thanksgiving!"

Tom responded in total deadpan, "I think we should stick to the plan. I find cafeteria food about as appealing as getting my Thanksgiving dinner at a gas station."

Daria deadpanned back, "What's wrong with 5 hour old hot dogs? I'll bet some of the gas stations have turkey franks on Thanksgiving. After all they have to compete with microwave dinners."

"We could always have frozen lasagna," Tom quipped.

"Bite your tongue," was all that Daria said in reply.

As they approached the door to Daria's building, she pulled out her key card and slid it through the reader. The door unlocked. She grabbed the door handle and let Tom into the building. The elevator was right by the door and the two rode up to Daria's floor. There she used her key to let them into her apartment.

Tom looked around as he put his things in Daria's bedroom. He then hung his jacket on one of the hooks behind the front door. The apartment was modern and kind of cold with the standard issue university furniture, but the girls had added some touches to give it personality. Tom had to admit to liking his place better. The old Victorian house had character. Still, this place had one thing his place did not – Daria.

As Tom sat down on the rather hard sofa he asked, "So what are the plans?"

Daria sat down next to him and replied, "I thought you could take your poor half-starved girlfriend out to dinner and then maybe we could go to a movie or something." Looking up at Tom she went on, "Then we can come back here and figure out what to do." Daria actually cracked a half-smile.

"That sounds good. What about tomorrow?" Tom asked.

"Well, Jane and Owen will be coming over about 1:00. So, I for one plan to sleep late. I bought a turkey breast for us. A whole turkey is just too much for four people. Also, I bought stuffing mix. You brought the wine, right?"

"Four bottles of German Riesling are nestled in my bag and lovingly wrapped in bubble wrap!" Tom replied.

With a serious look on her face Daria said, "Good. We don't have to worry about the RA this weekend. She went home and won't be around to enforce the 'dry campus' rules. I can't tell you how humiliating it is to get 'inspected' to make sure there is no alcohol in the apartment even though everyone is of age. Anyway, once we kill those bottles we will need to dispose of them in off-campus trash receptacles."

Tom chuckled, "Do I detect a hint of Melody Powers in that statement? Really, I can just take them with me when I head back to Newtowne. I can always just dump them in the trash at the train station. So what are Jane and Owen bringing?"

"They are bringing potatoes, vegetables and Jane is baking a pumpkin pie. I have whipped cream here."

Tom asked, "Is it in a pressurized can or do we have to whip it ourselves?"

Daria replied, "I bought a couple of cans. I thought it would be easier."

"So if we used part of a can tonight we would still have some for tomorrow!" Tom stated.

Daria made a fist and hit Tom in the arm. "You are terrible! Get any thoughts not related to using whipped cream as food out of your head, mister."

"Ouch," Tom said. "I was planning on eating it!"

Daria hit him again.

"OK, then it sounds like a great feast! Our first Thanksgiving together." Tom hugged Daria.

"Now be a good boyfriend and put the wine in the fridge. Then you can take me to dinner."

It occurred to Tom that Daria's last statement almost sounded like something Quinn would say. He also thought it best not to mention that out loud lest it have serious repercussions. Besides, his arm was already a little sore.


	2. No White and Drifted Snow

**Chapter 2: No White and Drifted Snow**

Tom looked out the bedroom window. Thanksgiving morning had dawned a cold and gray day. There were no people visible in the parking lot or the piece of the campus visible from the window. The sky was the color of lead. Judging from the sheen on the asphalt a light rain was falling. At least it wasn't snow! He could tell from the evergreens that there was a fair wind blowing. He would need to check the weather on TV. His guess was that the temperature was at least a few degrees above freezing, but the wind chill was below it. Well, there was no reason they had to go outside, so it would be nice just to stay in the apartment. Daria was still sound asleep, so Tom grabbed his clothes and went to the bathroom to shave and shower.

It was a little after 10:00 am when Daria came shuffling out of the bedroom. Tom was sitting in the living room. He was on his laptop and had the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on the TV. He had muted the sound so as not to disturb Daria. He cheerily greeted her, "Good morning, sunshine! How is my beautiful girlfriend this morning?"

In total deadpan Daria responded to his cheery greeting, "I didn't know you had a beautiful girlfriend. Maybe you should ask her. Whoever she is she should count herself lucky. As for me, I am in desperate need of a shower and a good brushing of the teeth just to feel human. So, if you will excuse me I will go and transform myself into a human being. This girlfriend, however, would really appreciate some coffee when she was done showering!" With that Daria shuffled off to the bathroom and shut the door.

Tom chuckled to himself. He truly loved Daria's sense of humor. Now that she was up he arose from the couch and went into the kitchen to check out the possibilities for making breakfast. The first thing he did was start brewing coffee. To be truthful, Daria looked like she needed some coffee to get going. They had both been quite exhausted when they finally went to sleep.

Since he didn't yet hear the shower going, Tom walked over to the bathroom door and said, "What can I make you for breakfast."

Daria replied, "I can usually get by on a couple of sugar tarts."

"I had in mind something that wouldn't cause you to have a crash. How about I make you an egg and cheese sandwich on toast or a bagel?"

"OK," Daria replied. "Is that coffee I smell?"

"Yes. I just started some."

"Good." And with that statement Daria started the shower ending the conversation.

Tom went out to the kitchen and got everything set up. Looking through the cabinets he definitely had to conclude that the girls Daria was living with in this apartment kept the kitchen better stocked than any of the guys he knew back at Bromwell. This group was probably better at cooking than most of the Bromwell girls as well. It appeared that these women at Raft actually cooked rather than eating at the cafeteria or at restaurants all the time.

…..

Daria commented as they finished their breakfast, "Well that was pretty good. I guess I will have to keep you around!"

Tom replied, "Glad I am good for something!"

Reaching over and taking his hand in hers Daria looked up into Tom's gray eyes, smiled and said, "You are good for many things, Tom. I'm thankful I have you. Now would you clear the table and refill my coffee? One more cup and I think I can declare myself awake!"

Tom leaned over and kissed Daria's forehead. "Anything for you!" As he picked up the dishes he felt a strong sense of happiness that Daria had said what she did. Talking about feelings was one of the hardest things for Daria. While not yet a declaration of undying love, these small statements clearly indicated to him that the feelings in their relationship were moving forward. That alone made him thankful today!

…

There was a knock at the door and Tom went over to answer. Standing there were Jane Lane and her boyfriend Owen Kelly. It had been years since Tom had seen Jane. "Hi," Tom said. "Come in. Happy Thanksgiving! Can I take anything?"

Jane handed Tom a heavy plastic grocery bag. As he leaned over to grasp it properly she planted a big kiss on his cheek. "Happy Thanksgiving, Tom. It is so good to see you again! This is Owen."

Without missing a beat Tom said, "Hi Owen. I'm Tom Sloane. Nice to meet you."

"I've heard good things about you Tom," Owen said. "I'd shake hands, but I certainly don't want to endanger this pumpkin pie. Jane made it starting with a real pumpkin! I hope it tastes good. She spent a lot of time on it."

The three went into the kitchen. Daria was standing there wearing a full length apron. Printed on the front was 'Cynic=Seeker of Truth.' Looking first at Tom with the grocery bag and then at Jane she said in total deadpan, "You could hardly get in the door without kissing my boyfriend?"

Tom started to blush as he was wiping off Jane's lipstick with a towel.

"Hey, at least I wasn't in a car with him!"

Tom turned beet red as both Daria and Jane laughed.

Owen said, "Tom, put down the groceries and come with me. We can go play 'Total Annihilation' while they make dinner."

Daria cleared her throat. "Ahem. You two are going to help or you may find yourselves eating frozen turkey dinners you purchased at a gas station and then heated in their microwave."

Looking at Tom, Owen asked, "Is she always like this Tom?"

"It is part of her charm. I never have to guess what she wants me to do – in the kitchen at least."

Jane issued orders, "Owen, you are on potatoes. These need to be washed, peeled and placed in boiling water. Tom, I need you to clean and cut the vegetables. Daria and I are on the meat, stuffing, and gravy." Jane's tone left no doubt that resistance would be inadvisable if not futile. She handed Owen the peeler and she handed Tom a chef's knife.

The two men got to work as Jane and Daria prepared the turkey breast to go into the oven.

Tom finished cutting up the onions and with tears rolling down his cheeks he placed about three-quarters of them in the bottom of the roasting pan.

After seasoning the unfrozen turkey breast and placing it on top of the onions inside the roasting pan Daria said, "OK Jane. The oven is at 450oF (232oC). Hold the door open while I put this in." Jane opened the door to the oven and Daria stuck the turkey breast inside. Jane closed the door and Daria exclaimed, "OK, now we turn the temperature down to 350 F (175 C) and let it cook for an hour before we check the internal temperature. I am guessing that this thing will take about two hours to cook."

Over the next two hours the friends cooked, prepared the table and consumed the first bottle of wine. Dinner for four was fun to make and ultimately they all sat down at what Jane had designed as a very festive table – on a really low budget since they were all college students. She had created a centerpiece of dried colored corn tied around a large diameter candle held inside a glass cylinder. The candle and cylinder were taller than the corn. Jane and Daria had gone shopping together a couple weeks prior. One stop was the party store where they had purchased turkey themed paper dinner plates and paper dinner napkins. The brown plastic table cloth they had purchased as well really set off the elements.

Since the table itself was small, they decided to place the food in a buffet line. By using the top of the stove they managed to keep their dishes warm, so that seconds wouldn't be cold. Daria sliced about half of the turkey breast and placed the slices on a glass plate for serving. Each went through and filled their plates, then sat down at the table. As they went through Tom opened the second bottle of wine.


	3. The Pudding's Done

**Chapter 3: The Pudding's Done!**

The food was good and so was the wine. While each was getting started on their turkey dinner Tom piped up with, "So, should we each share a memorable Thanksgiving?"

Daria looked at him and remarked in total deadpan, "Surely we couldn't have a holiday without utter humiliation. Go ahead. You start. We can go clockwise."

Tom took a sip of his wine, a deep breath, and then began, "Well, as you might guess my mother is far better at making reservations than making food. As a result we had most of our Thanksgiving dinners at the country club rather than at home. Even when Elsie and I were little kids we would get dressed up and go to 'The Club.' Needless to say there are few things that little kids hate more than getting dressed up and going to an adult venue to eat."

Daria couldn't help but chime in with, "Of course nothing could have said 'Thanksgiving' like Pizza Forest and singing animals. Not to mention some cardboard flavored pizza."

Tom gave Daria a slightly annoyed look and went on, "I don't think Lawndale had a Pizza Forest yet at that point. Anyway, so here we are all dressed up and sitting at the table. The club offers a buffet on Thanksgiving with a choice of turkey, ham, or roast beef and of course all the trimmings."

"Like trimmings from the golf course or the trees?" Daria asked.

"Neither," Tom replied. "Now you have to understand that my sister and I have never really gotten along."

Jane piped up, "Kind of like Daria and Quinn?"

Tom looked over at Jane and commented, "At least Daria and Quinn buried the hatchet in our senior year in high school. Elsie and I never have. She is probably rejoicing right now in my absence. I know that I do not miss enduring a holiday with her."

Jane came back with, "So do you have a story here or are we just supposed to commiserate with you over the fact you have a sibling?"

"I'm trying to get on with the story, Jane," Tom replied. "Anyway, so at the club there is this big buffet and one of the things they try to do is have things on it that kids will like and find attractive. One of these is a group of gelatin molds. They have a clear lemon one, a bright red strawberry mold and a purple grape mold. Inside there is fruit, especially in the clear mold."

Jane dropped her fork on her plate, raised her palms to her cheeks, sat up straight and exclaimed, "Fruit in gelatin. What a novel concept!"

Daria chimed in, "What next? Cottage cheese?"

Owen turned to Tom and said, "Better speed up the story. I think they are starting to gang up on you."

Tom continued, "So about 10 years ago we were sitting at a table near the kitchen doors. On the way to the buffet we would walk across the tiles that were right at the kitchen exit. Of course, Elsie had a plan. It was an evil plan."

"Tell us of this evil plan!" Jane said.

"Well, we all went up to the buffet and were making our selections. She took a bowl and filled it with clear lemon gelatin. She took a few moments and made certain it was hacked to bits. Then she went and nonchalantly got the rest of her food. It was what she did on the way back that would become horrifying."

Daria popped up with, "Murdered gelatin! Oh the humanity of it!"

Tom ignored Daria's comment. "On her way back to the table Elsie started distributing bits of gelatin onto the floor in the tiled area. The gelatin was clear and the light was subdued. Barely had we sat down at our table again when one of the waiters comes out of the kitchen carrying a tray of mashed potatoes. He slipped on the gelatin, made wild windmill motions trying to regain his balance, juggled the potatoes, but ultimately lost the battle. He went face down in the tray of potatoes!"

Tom went on, "Now it wasn't enough that one poor soul had literally fallen victim to my sister. While this guy was in the middle of trying to keep his balance another waiter exited the kitchen. He was carrying a tray of small acorn squash, which had been beautifully arranged so that the sweet cooked squash was inside the jacket, sort of like a twice baked potato. He tried his best to avoid the first guy, but unfortunately that proved impossible. The first guy ran into him and he fell backwards. He momentarily regained his balance, but then slipped and fell forward. Now he managed to hold onto the tray, but he was not so lucky with the squash. They went flying."

"Oh Lord," Daria exclaimed shaking her head and with a tone of resignation. "And where did these wayward squash land?"

Tom answered, "On the president of the country club, of course. Specifically his wife was left wearing a squash like a crown. He had squash all over his suit. One of his children got it in the face and the other had it down her rather ample cleavage. Naturally all this stuff was hot, so the kids were out of their seats dancing around like chickens trying to get the hot stuff off. I still remember the president's daughter sticking her hand wrapped in a napkin down her front!"

Owen started laughing so hard he nearly choked. Jane was laughing but it was more of a chuckle. In total deadpan Daria said, "It figures that a 12 year old boy would notice the president's daughter or at least her front. Now, is this story real or did you see this in a Three Stooges movie?"

Tom raised his right hand and answered, "I swear this was truth. The entire dining room was split between those laughing at the situation and those trying to help the people involved. I think we were just lucky because Elsie was smart enough to drop the gelatin in a way that did not point to our table. But she couldn't help but brag about it to me later that day. Now it's your turn Jane."

Collecting herself after Tom finished his story Jane first finished the small pile of dressing on her plate and then took a long drink of wine. Fully prepared she began her story. "Well, the wandering Lanes were rarely all home at the same time. One of the few exceptions was for Thanksgiving a couple years before Daria moved to Lawndale. Penny had just graduated from high school the previous spring and was taking Spanish classes at the community college. Wind had just gotten married for the first time and Summer had come home with her kids and husband. All totaled we had a dozen people in the house. One of those was an infant that never seemed to stop crying. Penny had moved into my room with me. Of course, I got a sleeping bag on the floor. Summer and crew took over Penny's room and Wind and his wife took over Trent's room. Poor Trent was reduced to a tent pitched in the basement. I think he wound up spending most of the weekend over at Jesse's house. I told him as long as he made it to Thanksgiving dinner, then no one would notice he was gone."

"That is kind of sad," Daria remarked.

Jane went on, "Yeah. It was. But, he always got stuck 'sucking hind teat' around the Lane household. Anyway, it was Thanksgiving morning and everyone was arguing about what they were going to do to help mom make the dinner. No one seemed to want to take the lead and assign tasks. On top of that Wind and his wife were fighting – they split two weeks later – and Summer's baby was crying and her two oldest kids were getting into trouble so my dad was trying to keep them corralled. I think it was within six months that the oldest two ran away from home for the first time. Summer's husband was just hanging out behind the house smoking. I think they were cigarettes, but I am not totally certain. Penny may have been with him."

Owen said, "That is a great family scene you are setting Jane."

"Welcome to the Lane family. So, mom is busy trying to prepare dinner. I am giving her a hand in the kitchen and so is Trent. Trent was there because I told him to be there. My mother, being my mother, felt that everything had to be made from scratch. No helpful mixes. Nothing. So, here we are working away on everything from pulling the bag of guts from the turkey to mashing up cooked pumpkin for pie – by the way, that is when I learned to make pumpkin pie from scratch. Peel, boil, chop, and bake is how I would describe that morning. That was followed by mash, mix, stuff, and slice. I think Trent may have even written a song for Mystic Spyral based on that morning."

Tom asked, "So far it doesn't seem too abnormal."

Jane continued, "Well, we ran into a bit of a problem. The turkey was all stuffed and ready to go, but it turned out that the bird would not fit into the oven! With all the people coming for dinner my mom had bought a 28 pound (12.7 kg) turkey. It was simply too big. We wound up having to cut the bird in half along the breast bone in order for it to make the height. Then we had to come up with two different pans that would both fit in the oven and take the two half-birds. Finally by cutting off the ends of the legs and strategically trimming the two halves we got the bird and the stuffing into the oven."

"Wow. That is quite a story," Tom said.

"Oh, I'm not done yet," Jane replied refilling her wine glass and taking another long drink. "Mom, Trent, and I finally got the food onto the table. Everyone came and sat down. Summer put the baby in an old playpen right by the table. She was at the end of one side. Mom and dad were at the two ends. Dad carved up one half of the turkey and everyone started passing around food. Once people were eating the baby decided to start crying. Summer made little cooing and shushing noises, but nothing seemed to work. So, she picked up the baby and attempted to rock it back and forth while she ate."

Daria exclaimed, "She didn't drop the baby did she?"

"No, though by then it probably would have been an acceptable solution to all at the table. No, Penny said, 'Maybe that kid is hungry. Why don't you feed it something?' Famous last words! Penny said 'OK' and proceeded to open her shirt, unhook her bra, and started nursing the baby right there at the table."

Owen's mouth was just hanging open when he weakly uttered, "You're kidding me."

Pointing at both Tom and Owen Jane stated, "Nope. Not kidding. The expressions on the guys' faces were about the same as the face you two are both making."

Tom said, "That is quite a story."

"I'm not done yet. So, as the baby is starting to nurse when Summer's four year old says, 'I want some too Mommy! I like your milk. Its better than this crappy turkey!' At that point my dad, Trent, and Wind almost in unison pushed their plates away and left the table. Summer turned to her four year old and said, 'Not at the table sweetie. Maybe you can have some later when the baby has had enough.' I remember just hiding my face in my hands. Clearly there is probably nothing more mortifying to a young teen that is just developing than having your sister say those things. The only thing I can imagine that would be worse would be if it was my mother and it happened in the mall's food court."

All Owen could say was, "Oh my God."

By now Tom and Daria were both laughing. They knew the people involved! Daria turned to Tom and deadpanned, "Gee Tom, should I whip off my shirt and bra at the table? You know, just for fun?"

Trying not to fall out of his chair laughing Tom retorted, "There is a time and a place for everything, Daria. I don't think this is the place to whip off your shirt and bra."

Jane turned to Owen and exclaimed, "Now it is your turn Owen. Let's see if you can beat my story." After saying that Jane got up, walked over to the kitchen and opened the third bottle of wine. She filled her glass and set the bottle on the table.

Owen looked at Jane, tossed back the remaining wine in his glass and refilled it from the fresh bottle. He began his story letting his voice fall into its natural 'down east' Maine accent with the soft 'r,' unique vowels, and slight lilt. "Well, up Maine way people tend to be kind of frugal."

"He means cheap," Jane interjected.

Owen cleared his through and went on with the story. "Anyway, if they can save a few dollars on something they will. People like some lobster with their holiday dinners and mostly they will try to trap their own. They like to cut out the middle man. It is obscene what you pay for lobster in a grocery store!"

Tom asked, "Is this a story about lobsters?"

"No. Not at all. It is a story about getting the most for your money when buying Thanksgiving dinner. My mother spotted an index card hanging on the community bulletin board at the hardware store. A farmer was offering fresh Thanksgiving turkeys for less than a quarter of what you would pay in the grocery store. Now my mother being a good frugal New Englander decided that this was a deal worth taking. She even called her sister and between them they decided to buy four turkeys from this farmer. They figured that it was best for them to each get one for Thanksgiving and one to freeze for Christmas."

"Now there was less than a week before Thanksgiving and she didn't want to miss out on getting a turkey. So, the next day she called the farmer. He said that he was pricing by the pound, but he had turkeys ranging from 12 to almost 30 pounds. She could have whichever birds she wanted when she showed up. But, it was first come first served. This was Monday and Thanksgiving was Thursday. He wasn't going to be home that evening, but if she wanted to come to pick up birds Tuesday evening, well that was OK and he would be there. She gave him a credit card number to put down the deposit. Then she said she would send my dad and uncle Vernon out to pick up the birds tomorrow evening."

"So far so good," Daria said.

"Well, my uncle Vernon had a new pickup with a topper, so he and my dad hopped in it to go out and get the turkeys. They threw some plastic bags in the back to bring them home in, just in case they were not already wrapped. Uncle Vernon didn't want a bunch of juice in the back of his new pickup. It might stink. Now you have to understand that Maine is far enough North that there is usually snow on the ground already at Thanksgiving time. This year was no exception., So, this farmer was out in the middle of the woods in nowhere. It took them the better part of an hour to get there. Finally they arrived and met the farmer. They had the order number that he had given my mother. 'So,' they asked. 'Where are the turkeys?' The farmer replied, 'Why over there. Didn't you see them driving in?' Turning his head to look my father saw a whole flock of white birds walking around in a pen. He then said to the farmer, 'Um, those turkeys are alive.' The farmer answered with, 'Sure are. You can have any four you want. Do you have cages for me to weigh so we can get the turkey's weight after you catch them?' Uncle Vernon chimed in with, 'We have these plastic bags!' Farmer replied, 'Those won't hold a turkey. Even if they last long enough to get them into the back of your truck they will be out in no time even if you tie their feet."

Jane's only comment was, "Oh my God!"

"Dad and Uncle Vernon went into the turkey pen. Now domestic turkeys may be the stupidest birds ever bred for the barnyard, but that doesn't mean they will just stand there and let themselves be caught! No, my dad and uncle Vernon chased and chased those turkeys. It probably took them an hour to catch four of them, bind them, and stuff each one into a bag. The turkeys were bad enough, but Dad and Uncle Vernon absolutely reeked after that. You can imagine what they were covered with. The farmer weighed the birds and then tossed them into the back of the pickup. Dad paid the farmer and off they went. Just before he drove off the farmer walked up to the driver side window and said, 'You know, for about a quarter more a pound I would have processed those for you.' With that my dad and uncle drove off."

Tom asked, "So what did they do with the birds?"

"Back where they turned off the main road there was a store and gas station. The two drove there and went in. I think the person working there made a comment about the smell. Anyway, Uncle Vernon went to the back where they had some hardware and picked up a hatchet, a few gallons of water, and some trash bags. They paid for their goods and turned back down the dirt road. Vernon had seen an old logging road that branched off at one point. It was unused in the winter, so they turned down that road and drove a mile. There they stopped and one by one slaughtered the turkeys and hung them up to drain. Uncle Vernon had his hunting knife in the glove compartment, so they gutted the birds as well. Once they were all done they put the birds in new plastic bags, tied them shut, put them in the back of the pickup and drove home."

Daria asked, "What did they do with the heads and entrails?"

"Oh, they left those for the scavengers. The soiled plastic bags they just put in another trash bag and threw in the dumpster of the place they bought the hatchet. By the time they were done those birds were ready for my mother and aunt to scald and pluck. They did taste good, though."

Tom commented, "Mmm, mmm, entrails! That is just really appetizing."

The group paused and finished eating their dinner.


	4. Hurrah for the Pumpkin Pie!

**Chapter 4: Hurrah for the Pumpkin Pie!**

Tom got up and started cutting and serving Jane's pumpkin pie. He topped each piece with whipped cream and served each piece to those at the table. As he sat down with his pie he turned to Daria and said, "So, Daria, What about your memorable Thanksgiving?"

Daria finished her first bite of pumpkin pie, sighed, and began to spin her tale in total deadpan, "Well, as you may recall we moved to Lawndale from Highland, Texas. My parents moved to Texas after Mom graduated from law school in hopes of reaping the benefits of the Sunbelt. Dad worked for a marketing firm and Mom worked in a law firm – at least until I came along. I put an end to Mom's career with that firm. A year later Quinn came along and ruined my gig as an only child. Anyway, Mom stayed home with us the first few years. She felt isolated, because there were no family members in the area and no one to talk to other than Quinn and me. She eventually went back to practicing law part-time and then full-time as we got older. But as much as my parents complain about family members they still felt isolated. So, when I was about nine years old they invited Mom's sisters to come down for Thanksgiving."

"Oh my God," Jane exclaimed. Her eyes grew wide and she asked, "A Barksdale banquet?"

Daria replied, "Pretty much. My cousin Erin is five years older than I am. Rita and her second husband had just called it quits. She wanted to get away. Aunt Amy just figured it was a good trip, would be entertaining and she hadn't seen both her sisters in a couple of years."

Tom chimed in, "So the Barksdale sisters tried to create a Norman Rockwell scene."

"Yes," Daria replied. "But the scene was more Norman Bates than Norman Rockwell,"

Jane leaned forward resting her chin on her hand and said, "Give us all the gory details!"

Daria continued her story. "The house in Highland was your basic three bedroom ranch with a 2 car garage. Mom had to figure out how to squeeze four extra people into it. Houses in Texas don't have basements, so it was not like there was extra space 'down below' the main floor. So in the vein of family togetherness, all three kids got to have a 'camping trip' on the back porch while my Aunt Amy took my room and Aunt Rita took Quinn's room. The 'campers' got a tent and sleeping bags. It is not too cold in late November in Texas, so at least it wasn't winter camping."

Tom interjected, "Well at least body heat would keep you warm!"

Daria went on, "And Erin's snoring guaranteed a lack of slumber. Anyway, so we had the 'child pile' on the porch. The only reason we got any sleep was that usually Erin would go inside and take the couch in the middle of the night. Quinn and I sleep soundly enough that once Erin was gone we were out cold."

Tom asked, "So does that mean we should plan a camping trip together?"

"Bite your tongue nature boy," Daria deadpanned. "As far as I am concerned I have had enough camping for one lifetime. I won't go into the adventures with my father."

"Understood," Tom replied.

"So, all of this adventure and togetherness put the kids in a great mood. And of course you have the Barksdale sisters all in one house. The oldest two, my Mom and Aunt Rita, can bicker for hours over nothing. Aunt Amy eggs them on to intensify the bickering or fight, though at times the other two will turn on her or snub her."

"Nothing like warm family togetherness," Owen added.

"The fun really began Thanksgiving morning while preparing the Turkey."

…

"Helen, you're doing it wrong. See what it says right here!" Rita said breathlessly to her sister and pointing to a recipe card.

Helen responded with a tone of exasperation, "Rita, I am doing it exactly the way mom does. You're always talking about how great a cook mom is, but now you are complaining when I do things her way."

"I don't think that she does it that way. Oh how I wish she was willing to come down here for Thanksgiving. But I just couldn't persuade her to fly. She says it just gives her motion sickness and the seats are uncomfortable for such a length of time."

Amy walked into the kitchen and said, "Well, at least she was willing to pay for plane tickets for you and Erin to come. Maybe she just wanted a quiet Thanksgiving alone for once."

Rita turned and responded, "Well you have a job, Amy. All I have are divorce papers and an unemployment check. Without mother I might be on the street!"

Turning away from the oven, where she had just placed the turkey, Helen said, "The lawyer I referred you to will get you a solid settlement. You will almost certainly get the house and a piece of his business – or an equivalent cash settlement. You have child support from Erin's father. You are not penniless! Besides, mother seems to always be willing to underwrite whatever you want. Good thing dad left her well off when he died."

Amy added, "Rita don't worry. You are not an old hag yet. You'll find some other guy to leech off of I am sure. A little time in the swimming pool and at the cosmetics counter and you'll be ready to chase younger men."

"Says the woman who got not only the features, but the best hair as well," Rita opined. "You rarely even bother to use makeup because you don't need it! Yet I don't see you dating much. Do you even like men?"

Amy shot back, "I like men just fine. What I don't like are men who are superficial and just out to add another notch on their whatever they put a notch on." Amy did not want to become the focus of the bickering. She preferred to just enhance it between her sisters. So she decided to use a good conversation killer, "Besides, you are just getting divorced again. You have never had one die on you. That changes things – permanently."

"Sorry," Rita said. Turning around she asked, "Helen, what do you need me to do now."

….

Daria continued with the story, "So, that was how the day started. I think there were two or three more bickering sessions before dinner hit the table. Up until that point my dad was successfully hiding out in the garage. He even tried playing with us for a while. All I can say about that is that he meant well and we didn't plan on injuring him, but that is another story. At least there wasn't too much blood."

Tom asked, "So what happened at dinner?"

Daria explained, "Well, let's just say that it is a good thing that manners developed so that people didn't carve each other up with all the weapons sitting in front of them at the table."

"Keep going," Jane added.

"Well in the house in Highland they had to expand the table so that it partially went into the living room. The dining room alone wasn't big enough. We managed to seat eight people together, but the kids were sitting on metal folding chairs. We only had 5 of the 6 chairs from the dining set. Mom had liked the set, but bought it at a thrift store."

Jane said, "Buying at a thrift store doesn't exactly sound like your mother, Daria."

"Back when they got to Texas they didn't have much money. They managed to scrape enough together to buy the house, but there were a few years where there was little money for things other than food, shelter, and kids. One of the things that made the move to Lawndale so exciting for them was that with my mother's new salary at the law firm they were able to get rid of most of the old furniture and buy new stuff. I think that the only remaining pieces from the old house are in my bedroom. Of course, Quinn got all the new 'pretty girl' furnishings for her room. Anyway, we made do with seating back then."

Daria continued, "So all the food was on the table. Mom had even brought a card table in to put extra things on. Dad was standing at the head of the table. Mom sat opposite and my aunts were on one side and the kids on the other. Erin, of course, had the comfortable chair matching the dining set. Rita insisted because she was 'almost an adult now.' Mom had pulled in an upholstered chair from the living room for herself. My dad had a knife in one hand and a carving fork in the other. As I remember:"

…

Rita exclaimed, "Jake! That is the wrong knife. If you cut the turkey with that cheap stainless steel thing it will splinter the poor bird to bits. I don't want my turkey breast to be a shredded mass. Don't you have a decent sharp knife? I guess that is what you get buying at a thrift store."

Jake's eyes got wide and his right hand began to shake ever so slightly, "Rita, this is a carving knife. It should carve the turkey ok."

"Really Rita," Helen exclaimed. "It will be just fine. It really doesn't matter what kind of knife it is so long as it is sharp."

"Those things are never sharp," Rita said.

Amy jumped in with, "Do you have to control everything Rita? Seriously, just let the poor man cut the bird. I don't know about you, but I am starving."

Rita responded, "I do not control everything. I just want us all to have a lovely thanksgiving like we used to when we were all at home."

Daria noticed her dad taking a substantial drink of his wine while the focus was on Rita and Amy. There was no way Daria could have predicted that it was Erin who next joined the fray.

"Muh-thur," Erin said slowly with the sound of a fine edged whine. "Do you always have to embarrass me like this! For once think of what you are doing to me!" Suddenly crying she went on, "Your control freak personality is just too much! Who cares about a stupid turkey or any of this! No wonder you drive men away. All I want is somebody you won't drive to the point of running out on us." With that Erin got up and ran from the room.

"Teenage hormones – will I ever survive them?" Rita said as she shrugged her shoulders.

Amy responded, "You managed to survive your own. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Helen pounced with the statement, "Maybe if you were a little more selective and worked harder on your relationships Erin wouldn't be so worked up."

Rita shot back at Helen, "You should talk Miss Perfect. I've never been able to wind a man around my little finger the way you did Jake. Even today if you told him to eat a bug he would!"

Jake said meekly, "No bugs, but how about some turkey? Before it gets cold?"

Rita and Helen turned toward Jake and said in unison, "Shut up Jake." Then they went back to bickering.

…

Tom was staring at Daria at this point. He asked, "So what happened? You're leaving us hanging. Your father obviously didn't try to stand up for himself."

Daria replied, "That is because he knew that he was in a no-win situation. He just stood there holding the carving knife while they debated my parents' relationship. As far as I was concerned this had gotten out of hand. We had hot food and there was no way that I was about to let it get cold."

Jane asked, "How was Quinn taking this?"

"Well, Quinn was looking at the floor and slowly winding the tablecloth around her fingers. She was also making her little 'shaky moves' which I knew was a prelude to sobbing if not outright crying. That led me to the feeling that no one was allowed to torment Quinn but me. I had to have a unique role in the household or why was I even there? Being the most mature person at the table, it was time for the nine year old to take action."

"And what was the Daria solution?" Jane asked.

"Simple," Daria replied. "I got up, left the table and went into the kitchen. I could hear that there was a moment of silence when I left. Then there was a little buzz. I think Aunt Amy had made a comment something like 'Did she go out to get a book to read?' Anyway, I waited about a minute and then went to the knife drawer. I pulled out a high carbon chef's knife. It was ugly, but very very sharp. (My parents kept it in the back so that we wouldn't hurt ourselves on it.) I rinsed it a couple of times and made sure that it wiped clean on a towel. Of all the knives in the house this was the prize. I walked out of the kitchen holding the knife."

"Did they fear you?" Tom asked. "I know I would."

Daria leaned over and gave Tom a quick kiss on the cheek and said, "As well you should my dear."

"OK," was Tom's only reply.

"Taking the knife I walked up to my dad and said, 'may I?' He looked at me and just decided to step aside and handed me the carving fork. By this point the arguing had stopped and everyone was just staring at me. We went through the usual 'Do you think she should have a knife like that?' I stared them down. Once I had them cowed I plunged the carving fork into the top of the turkey's breast, made the undercut along the bone and began slicing perfect slices of breast meat. I sliced both sides, then cut the legs off and quickly deboned them. My relatives sat in stunned silence. Finally, dad asked 'Where did you learn how to use a knife like that?' I just smiled at them."

Jane said, "You smiled?"

"Yes. I smiled. It was an evil smile. Then I told them I read a book on knifing skills. When I checked it out from the library I thought it would prepare me should I have to get rid of a body, say Quinn's! Instead it was a book about how to use knives in cooking to slice and make all kinds of things. I went ahead and read it anyway. I've used the skills from that book many times since then. It just surprises me how much of it I retain after all these years." Looking at Tom she quipped, "Maybe it is just the fantasies about what I could do with a knife!"

Tom asked, "So what happened after that?"

"I transferred the meat from the carcass to a couple of platters and started them around. Then I went searching for Erin. I found her in my room. I told her that if she didn't get her sorry tearless butt back into that dining room and behave I would kick it for her. I guess my tone of voice was scary enough that she complied – despite the age difference. Finally, I got back to the table, sat down and helped myself to the still warm food. I think after my demonstration of the knifing skills the adults decided to mostly behave themselves. Perhaps my comments about getting rid of a body sunk in."

Jane remarked, "Daria, only you could have a bunch of adults cringing before you like that."

Looking individually at each person around the table Daria replied, "It just goes to show that I expect everyone to behave at Thanksgiving dinner. Now, who wants more wine?"


	5. No Matter the Winds that Blow

**Chapter 5: No Matter the Winds that Blow**

Tom and Daria were just finishing putting dishes in the dishwasher and cleaning the last of the pots and pans when Tom asked, "So how much embellishing did you do on that Thanksgiving story? I have kind of a tough time believing that Thanksgiving with your aunts and cousin was that awful!"

"I didn't have to embellish," Daria replied. As if on cue her phone started emitting its ringtone. Turning her back on Tom she grabbed her phone off of the counter. First she looked at the display and then flipped the phone open and said, "Hi Aunt Amy! Happy Thanksgiving."

"Happy Thanksgiving," Amy responded. "How is my favorite niece today?"

"It's been a good day. I have Tom here. Jane and her boyfriend Owen joined us for dinner. They left about an hour ago. Tom and I were just finishing the cleanup. What did you do today?"

"Well a couple of the other 'old maids' that I hang out with and I went to dinner together at the Mayflower. Everything was fabulous from the food to the decorations."

"I would hardly call you an 'old maid' Aunt Amy! You're a beautiful and successful professional woman," Daria said.

Amy chuckled and replied, "Hit fifty and see what happens! Believe me that being never married at 40 people still view you as having something wrong with you. It is even worse at 50. That is why at my age the chances of getting married are less than being killed by a terrorist. So, I chose the single life long ago and that works for me. At least I don't have to worry about someone else's schedule!"

Daria said, "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed the day with your friends."

"And you with your's. Take good care of Tom. Love you Daria!"

Daria replied with, "I love you too Aunt Amy!"

"Bye," Aunt Amy replied and ended the call.

Daria but her phone in her pocket and then turned back to Tom. She continued with the story she had been telling him, "It really was, Tom. That was the last time my mom tried to be the big peacemaker. The next time all three sisters were in the same room was seven years later at Erin's wedding. That event was bad enough the police came! Aunt Amy and I wound up sneaking out of the reception and going to a bowling alley for cheese fries."

Tom and Daria hung up the dish towels to dry and Daria pressed the button to start the dishwasher. They went and sat on the couch. Tom pulled Daria close and they shared a long kiss. He said, "I'm thankful I came here to be with you rather than going back to Lawndale. Not only do I get to be with my best friend, but I would never have heard such stories at the country club. Certainly not sitting there staring at my parents and Elsie."

"I'm glad I could provide you with entertainment," Daria deadpanned.

"You provide me with way more than entertainment," Tom replied as he leaned over and kissed Daria again.

….

Looking out the window of the train Tom checked his phone. He was about a half-hour from the Newtowne station. As he was holding it he felt it start to vibrate. The display on the cover showed that it was his mother calling. He flipped open the phone and held it to his ear.

"Hi Mom," Tom said in a neutral voice.

"So how was the weekend with your little girlfriend? You missed a positively lovely Thanksgiving dinner at the club. This year they offered ostrich in addition to the turkey, roast beef and ham."

"I had a great time this weekend. We had Jane Lane and her boyfriend Owen over for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I got to tell them all about Elsie and the gelatin." Tom went on with excitement in his voice, "Friday it rained all day so we stayed in and did the studying we had to do for classes on Monday. Saturday was absolutely beautiful, so we walked the Freedom Trail and then went to dinner and a play."

With a clearly irritated tone in her voice Kay Sloane said, "You don't have to go around telling every Tom, Dick, and Harry about your sister's bad behavior!"

"Why not?" Tom replied. "That is what she does best. Did she even go to Thanksgiving dinner with you and Dad this year?"

"We had a lovely time together, Tom. You should have been there."

"No. It would have been awful. First, I would have had to put up with both of you criticizing my relationship with Daria. Second, Elsie would have found something to harass me about. She probably would try to make something out of the fact that I will almost certainly make Dean's List again and graduate with honors. She simply resents the fact that I breathe. I had a good time this weekend. I am glad I wasn't there. Besides, I have already agreed to coming to the club's Christmas and New Year's Eve parties. You know that Daria will come too. Remember: No Daria. No Tom."

"You have made that abundantly clear. Sometimes you are just impossible, Tom. " Kay said with an angry edge to her voice. "You could meet some better girls at those parties."

"I'm not interested in your friends' daughters, Mom. You forget that I know them. The ones that aren't airhead narcissists are either drunks or just plain stupid. I have a girlfriend that is sober, intelligent, has a sharp wit, and a realistic view of the world. She also happens to be pretty and very loving."

"Daria Morgendorffer is the coldest fish in the sea – probably cold as a dead mackerel. I sometimes think love is not only blind, but deaf, dumb and stupid as well. What kind of relationship can you have with that girl? Surely she can't be that good in bed!"

"Well, you've now veered into the 'none of your business' realm, Mom. I will admit that Daria does have a thick shell. But, you only need to make the effort to get to know her. Who knows? Maybe she will be your daughter-in-law one day!"

"I hope not," Kay commented with a tone of resignation in her voice. "Well, I'm glad you are on your way back to Bromwell. Call before you come home for Christmas."

"I will Mom. Bye" Tom said as he lowered his phone and snapped it shut. He looked at the display. The train was just 15 minutes from the Newtowne station. Tom reflected on the holiday weekend just passed. Time together with Daria really helped to deepen their relationship. He truly wished that his mother would accept Daria. It certainly wasn't like he had picked her up in some bar someplace. He even had to admit that there were certain similar traits between his mother and Daria. Both were intelligent, educated, and pretty women. Daria was certainly not as social, but still maybe his mother felt there was competition!

It would be three weeks before he and Daria would see each other again. In the meantime they both had to endure final exams. The two were planning on returning to Lawndale together for Christmas break. It would be nice to be together for such an extended length of time. Tom just hoped Daria would be tolerant of the holiday parties at the country club and that his mother would behave herself. That would make Christmas much more pleasant. Oh well, time would tell.

...

 _Thank you for reading my story. It is now complete. Please leave a review! The story that follows this one in the series in "Christmas."_

 _Please note:_ _The characters in this story are fictional and are the property of MTV. They are used without expressed permission. This work is fan fiction and was created purely for the enjoyment of the author and those who choose to read it. This is not for sale and no income is to be derived from it._


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